Project overview

Auckland's city centre is changing rapidly, and we are working with Auckland Council to create a thriving city centre, supported by frequent, efficient transport for people walking, cycling and travelling by bus.

Under our New Network, Wellesley Street is a key route for buses travelling to the city centre from Sandringham Road, New North Road and Remuera Road. We are seeking your feedback on the best route for buses travelling via Symonds Street and Wellesley Street to access Wynyard Quarter.

The inbound route is straightforward, as the left turn from Symonds Street to Wellesley Street is already part of most current bus routes. We have also considered 3 options for outbound buses and are seeking your feedback on these options.

Project details

Overview map

Option 1: Outbound on Victoria Street (preferred option)

This option involves buses travelling from Sandringham Road, New North Road and Remuera Road entering the city centre via Wellesley Street and returning via Victoria Street. This is our preferred option.

Benefits

Many buses already follow this route, so much of the bus infrastructure is already in place. This means minimal disruption for those in surrounding areas.

This route provides excellent access to most of the city centre as well as Auckland University and AUT.

Disadvantages

Being less direct, this is a slightly longer route, with some parts of the route (such as Bowen Avenue) will be challenging to install bus lanes on.

This route will make it difficult to reduce the number of lanes on Victoria Street, as part of a planned future upgrade of Victoria Street.

Option 2: Outbound on Wellesley Street

This option involves buses travelling from Sandringham Road, New North Road and Remuera Road, both entering and leaving the city centre via Wellesley Street.

Benefits

Of the three options, this routine is the simplest and most direct.

This route provides good access to most of the city centre and both universities.

Disadvantages

This route would require buses to use an uphill slip lane to reach Symonds Street, and introducing more buses to this narrow, pedestrian-filled area would be challenging.

This route would require new traffic lights to enable buses to turn right out of the slip lane into Symonds Street, which would delay other buses using Symonds Street.

This route does not serve the northern parts of the University of Auckland campus well, meaning staff and students would have to walk further to get to and from buses.

Buses will need to turn and layover near Victoria Park. This is an area with limited space available and may cause delays for passengers.

Option 3: Outbound on Wakefield Street

This option involves buses travelling from Sandringham Road, New North Road and Remuera Road entering the city centre via Wellesley Street and returning via Wakefield Street.

Benefits

Of the 3 options, this route is the shortest.

This route could make use of existing bus stops on Mayoral Drive, reducing the construction work required, and disruption in the area.

Disadvantages

This route does not serve the northern parts of the University of Auckland campus well, meaning staff students would have to walk further to get to and from buses.

Buses will need to turn and layover near Victoria Park. This is an area with limited space available, and may cause delays for passengers.

This route would require a new right turn into Mayoral Drive, which would delay buses travelling in the other direction.

North Shore route - Northern Express 2 (NX2)

The future NX2 route will allow people travelling from the North Shore to the city centre, University of Auckland and AUT quickly and efficiently.

The NX2 route will supplement the existing Northern Express route to Britomart. Buses will travel in and out of the city through Wellesley Street, making use of the space in Symonds Street underpass for a new major bus stop.

The route, which runs along Fanshawe Street, Halsey Street and Wellesley Street to the unversities, was previously determined following a 2015 consultation. We expect to introduce this service in mid-2018.

Have your say

From 31 March to 24 April 2017, we asked for feedback on which of the 3 routes out of the city people preferred, as well as suggestions on how Wakefield, Wellesley, and Victoria Streets could be made into inviting public spaces.

We received over 2,200 submissions, with overwhelming support for a city centre that allowed for more green areas and cycle- and pedestrian-friendly spaces.

A common theme was a preference for buses not to use Victoria Street, to prevent impact on the proposed Victoria Street Linear Park, which is identified in the City Centre Master Plan (CCMP).

In March 2017, for the first time, more people entered the city centre using public transport than in a car. This demonstrates the need for AT to provide more reliable and faster public transport, without compromising the quality of our city spaces.

AT has re-examined the Midtown Bus Route proposal, and developed an alternative ‘cross over’ route option, which caters to both these requirements.

The new option, which was not part of the initial consultation, removes buses from Victoria Street, by swapping some major bus routes within the city centre and developing a new bus facility in Grafton Gully.

This option is still at feasibility stage, and further investigation is required.

Next steps

In September, we will present an update on these investigations when reporting to the Council’s Planning Committee, on progress on the City Centre Masterplan.

We will develop the design of the ‘cross over’ route option, and design options for Victoria Street, in conjunction with Auckland Council, and will seek public feedback next year.